21 Seat of the most ancient university in the western world, the Alma Mater Studiorum, Bologna is a city with an intense cultural life and intriguing historical legacy. City of art, culture and trade with excellent exhibition facilities and a renowned manufacturing and motoring tradition, Bologna is famous for its almost 40 km of porticoes, the longest in the world. The first view of the city is best taken from the beautiful Piazza Maggiore, where medieval palaces, witnesses to a lively public life and intense economic activity, combine perfectly with modernity, preserving their ancient charm. Palazzo D’Accursio, for example, the seat of the town hall, houses both the modern Salaborsa multimedia library in liberty style and Roman archaeological finds that can be viewed through a modern glass floor. The symbols of Bologna include the Neptune Fountain by Giambologna and the medieval towers. The majestic Two Towers – the Asinelli tower (98 metres) and its “twin” Garisenda (48 metres, mentioned in Dante’s Inferno) – rise above all the others. Alongside its ancient roads and endless porticoes, an unexpected wonder are the 12th-century canals, which can also be visited underground. Well worth a visit are Palazzo Poggi, seat of the University, the wonderful chapels of the Basilica of San Petronio, the portico and organ of Santa Maria dei Servi, the small window over the canal in Via Piella, and the Manufattura delle Arti district. The Museums – among them the National Gallery, the Archaeological Museum, the Medieval Museum, the Morandi Museum and many others – display a rich heritage of artistic works, as do the many religious buildings, particularly the building complexes of Santo Stefano, San Domenico and Santa Maria della Vita. City Guide Bologna
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